EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A…
Genesis 7:2
“Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.”
When you look through the Bible, there is one interesting land animal type which is missing. There is nothing to say that a pair of them got on the Ark, but we have to assume that they did so that they survived until after the Flood. Today, we just think of them strutting around the world, vicious killers, waiting for the opportunity to spring on their next prey. I am referring, of course, to that well-known animal kind – the cat.
Yes, that’s right. The word “cat” is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Yet we know they exist, and, as land animals, they must have been created on Day Six.
The Bible does, however, mention two members of the cat kind – lions and leopards. But these animals can hybridize and are therefore part of the same kind. Therefore, the Ark would not have had a pair of lions and a pair of leopards – just a pair of cats.
What sort of cats would have been on the Ark? They would not have been tiny domestic cats which have insufficient genetic material to be responsible for all of today’s cat species. It is more likely that the cats on the Ark were similar to the famous Saber-toothed cats found in the fossil record. Recent scientific studies on a semi-fossilized saber-toothed cat bone found in the North Sea shows that it shared a common ancestor with all other cat species. This DNA research is compelling. Descent and variation happen within a kind, but not from creatures of other kinds – exactly what we expect when we assume the Bible to be true.
Thank You, Lord, for the truth of Your word and for the talent You have given to so many scientists even if they do not acknowledge Your handiwork. Amen.
Genesis 7:2
“Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.”
When you look through the Bible, there is one interesting land animal type which is missing. There is nothing to say that a pair of them got on the Ark, but we have to assume that they did so that they survived until after the Flood. Today, we just think of them strutting around the world, vicious killers, waiting for the opportunity to spring on their next prey. I am referring, of course, to that well-known animal kind – the cat.
Yes, that’s right. The word “cat” is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Yet we know they exist, and, as land animals, they must have been created on Day Six.
The Bible does, however, mention two members of the cat kind – lions and leopards. But these animals can hybridize and are therefore part of the same kind. Therefore, the Ark would not have had a pair of lions and a pair of leopards – just a pair of cats.
What sort of cats would have been on the Ark? They would not have been tiny domestic cats which have insufficient genetic material to be responsible for all of today’s cat species. It is more likely that the cats on the Ark were similar to the famous Saber-toothed cats found in the fossil record. Recent scientific studies on a semi-fossilized saber-toothed cat bone found in the North Sea shows that it shared a common ancestor with all other cat species. This DNA research is compelling. Descent and variation happen within a kind, but not from creatures of other kinds – exactly what we expect when we assume the Bible to be true.
Thank You, Lord, for the truth of Your word and for the talent You have given to so many scientists even if they do not acknowledge Your handiwork. Amen.
FEAR OF SPIDERS AND SNAKES
Genesis 9:2
“And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.”
I don’t like spiders, but I am not particularly bothered by the sight of snakes. Don’t get me wrong. I have no personal desire to approach a snake if I don’t know anything about it as it could be dangerous, but those snakes which I know to be harmless, like the garter snakes that populate the area close to Mount St Helens, I find quite appealing.
Spiders are another matter altogether. There are some people I know who will literally leap screaming at the sight of these eight-legged invertebrates – and others who will react likewise to the aforementioned no-legged vertebrates!
Why does this fear exist? Is it because we know that some varieties of both animals are venomous? My mother always maintained that fear of snakes was because of what happened in Eden, but that would not explain why I have some lovely Christian friends who adore these creatures.
One recent science article suggested that our fear has developed by evolution. Dr. Stefanie Hoehl of the University of Vienna says, “We assume that the reason for this particular reaction upon seeing spiders and snakes is due to the coexistence of these potentially dangerous animals with humans and their ancestors for more than 40 to 60 million years.” But this evolutionary view also fails to explain the people who love, rather than hate, spiders and our general lack of fear for other dangerous animals.
The fear that animals have for humans is a result of the Fall and the after-effects of the Flood. The fear that some but not all of us have for certain animals must likewise be the result of an imperfect world.
Thank You, Lord, for the animals that You have made, some of which we like and some that we don’t. Thank You, nevertheless, that they all witness to Your incredible designing power. Amen.
Ref: Stefanie Hoehl, Kahl Hellmer, Maria Johansson, Gustaf Gredebäck. Itsy Bitsy Spider…: Infants React with Increased Arousal to Spiders and Snakes. Frontiers in Psychology, 2017; 8 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01710. Image: J.J. Harrison, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.
Genesis 9:2
“And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.”
I don’t like spiders, but I am not particularly bothered by the sight of snakes. Don’t get me wrong. I have no personal desire to approach a snake if I don’t know anything about it as it could be dangerous, but those snakes which I know to be harmless, like the garter snakes that populate the area close to Mount St Helens, I find quite appealing.
Spiders are another matter altogether. There are some people I know who will literally leap screaming at the sight of these eight-legged invertebrates – and others who will react likewise to the aforementioned no-legged vertebrates!
Why does this fear exist? Is it because we know that some varieties of both animals are venomous? My mother always maintained that fear of snakes was because of what happened in Eden, but that would not explain why I have some lovely Christian friends who adore these creatures.
One recent science article suggested that our fear has developed by evolution. Dr. Stefanie Hoehl of the University of Vienna says, “We assume that the reason for this particular reaction upon seeing spiders and snakes is due to the coexistence of these potentially dangerous animals with humans and their ancestors for more than 40 to 60 million years.” But this evolutionary view also fails to explain the people who love, rather than hate, spiders and our general lack of fear for other dangerous animals.
The fear that animals have for humans is a result of the Fall and the after-effects of the Flood. The fear that some but not all of us have for certain animals must likewise be the result of an imperfect world.
Thank You, Lord, for the animals that You have made, some of which we like and some that we don’t. Thank You, nevertheless, that they all witness to Your incredible designing power. Amen.
Ref: Stefanie Hoehl, Kahl Hellmer, Maria Johansson, Gustaf Gredebäck. Itsy Bitsy Spider…: Infants React with Increased Arousal to Spiders and Snakes. Frontiers in Psychology, 2017; 8 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01710. Image: J.J. Harrison, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.
MOST COMPLETE TYRANNOSAURUS
Genesis 1:24
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so”
A previous Creation Moment talked about the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs – those beautiful models of dinosaurs built in Victorian times that do not look anything like what we imagine those same dinosaurs to look like today. We discussed how this was due to the Victorian model maker Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins not having access to complete skeletons of the dinosaurs and therefore putting the pieces together in the wrong order. This was likened to trying to do a jigsaw puzzle without the picture being on the box. We believe it is wrong to criticize men like Hawkins, who did their best with the incomplete knowledge that they had at the time.
I was reminded of the problems of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs recently when reading an article about the finding of a new tyrannosaurus fossil.
Tyrannosauruses are no longer rare! Lots of fossils have been discovered, so even though none of them are complete, we can be reasonably sure that our correct opinion of how they look is more or less correct. Nevertheless, I was surprised by a recent science news article about the most complete T. Rex ever found in the Southwest United States – Utah, to be exact. So complete was it that paleontologists have unearthed 75 percent of the skeleton. Seventy-five percent! That means that one bone in every four is actually missing. And yet this is the most complete specimen found in the SW United States.
It is no wonder that mistakes are made regarding the possible shape and skeletal structure of so many dinosaurs. Humility is required by researchers so that they do not make over-inflated claims for their models.
We thank You, Lord, for all the wonderful things You have made. Thank You for making the dinosaurs that we find so fascinating and exciting. Amen.
Genesis 1:24
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so”
A previous Creation Moment talked about the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs – those beautiful models of dinosaurs built in Victorian times that do not look anything like what we imagine those same dinosaurs to look like today. We discussed how this was due to the Victorian model maker Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins not having access to complete skeletons of the dinosaurs and therefore putting the pieces together in the wrong order. This was likened to trying to do a jigsaw puzzle without the picture being on the box. We believe it is wrong to criticize men like Hawkins, who did their best with the incomplete knowledge that they had at the time.
I was reminded of the problems of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs recently when reading an article about the finding of a new tyrannosaurus fossil.
Tyrannosauruses are no longer rare! Lots of fossils have been discovered, so even though none of them are complete, we can be reasonably sure that our correct opinion of how they look is more or less correct. Nevertheless, I was surprised by a recent science news article about the most complete T. Rex ever found in the Southwest United States – Utah, to be exact. So complete was it that paleontologists have unearthed 75 percent of the skeleton. Seventy-five percent! That means that one bone in every four is actually missing. And yet this is the most complete specimen found in the SW United States.
It is no wonder that mistakes are made regarding the possible shape and skeletal structure of so many dinosaurs. Humility is required by researchers so that they do not make over-inflated claims for their models.
We thank You, Lord, for all the wonderful things You have made. Thank You for making the dinosaurs that we find so fascinating and exciting. Amen.
NEUMANN VALLEY
Genesis 2:7-8
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
Joachim Neumann was born in 1650 in Bremen, in what is today part of Germany. His father was a teacher of Latin. Joachim grew up in the Reformed Calvinist Church in Germany. At 16, he studied theology at home, being too poor to go to university. Shortly before he finished his course, in 1670, he heard a sermon which changed his life. Whether this was the moment he was saved or simply got more serious about his salvation, he was now firmly committed to following God.
He moved to Düsseldorf in 1674 after three years as a private tutor in Heidelberg. His work in Düsseldorf involved teaching Latin, as his father had done. But he was getting ready to be a pastor.
When preparing lessons, or sermons, or just praying, he liked to walk in the Düssel river valley. In fact, he often held gatherings there and preached sermons. He also composed his poems there, which have become some of our best-known hymns. The best known of all is Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. He moved back to Bremen in 1679 to take up a pastorate but died of tuberculosis the next year.
Joachim’s grandfather had changed the family name to the Greek version Neander – a common practice at the time. His favorite valley soon took on his name – Neander’s Dale, or Tal in German. That wonderful hymn of praise to God for his creation was written in the Neanderthal, where nearly 200 years later paleontologists thought they had found the missing link – Neanderthal Man.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. Oh my soul praise Him, for He is thy help and salvation. Amen.
Ref: Helmut Ackermann: Joachim Neander. Sein Leben, seine Lieder, sein Tal. 3. erw. Aufl. Düsseldorf 2005 (Joachim Neander. His Life, His Songs, His Valley). Image: Public Domain (due to age).
Genesis 2:7-8
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
Joachim Neumann was born in 1650 in Bremen, in what is today part of Germany. His father was a teacher of Latin. Joachim grew up in the Reformed Calvinist Church in Germany. At 16, he studied theology at home, being too poor to go to university. Shortly before he finished his course, in 1670, he heard a sermon which changed his life. Whether this was the moment he was saved or simply got more serious about his salvation, he was now firmly committed to following God.
He moved to Düsseldorf in 1674 after three years as a private tutor in Heidelberg. His work in Düsseldorf involved teaching Latin, as his father had done. But he was getting ready to be a pastor.
When preparing lessons, or sermons, or just praying, he liked to walk in the Düssel river valley. In fact, he often held gatherings there and preached sermons. He also composed his poems there, which have become some of our best-known hymns. The best known of all is Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. He moved back to Bremen in 1679 to take up a pastorate but died of tuberculosis the next year.
Joachim’s grandfather had changed the family name to the Greek version Neander – a common practice at the time. His favorite valley soon took on his name – Neander’s Dale, or Tal in German. That wonderful hymn of praise to God for his creation was written in the Neanderthal, where nearly 200 years later paleontologists thought they had found the missing link – Neanderthal Man.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. Oh my soul praise Him, for He is thy help and salvation. Amen.
Ref: Helmut Ackermann: Joachim Neander. Sein Leben, seine Lieder, sein Tal. 3. erw. Aufl. Düsseldorf 2005 (Joachim Neander. His Life, His Songs, His Valley). Image: Public Domain (due to age).
THE HUMANITY OF NEANDERTHALS
Ecclesiastes 3:21
“Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?”
In 1957, a dead Neanderthal man was discovered with nine other skeletons in Shanidar Cave in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. This particular Neanderthal Man had serious injuries, probably inflicted by other people. Police are looking for a 50,000-year-old murderer.
Of course, I made the last sentence up – except for the 50,000 years, which was made up by the researchers, as I can find no experimental evidence for that age in the various academic reports.
Shanidar 1, as the unfortunate skeleton is called, was actually injured well before his death. Researchers have recently reviewed his “hospital records” and have concluded that growths in his ears would suggest that during his later years, he must have been profoundly deaf.
“More than his loss of a forearm, bad limp and other injuries, his deafness would have made him easy prey for the ubiquitous carnivores in his environment and dependent on other members of his social group for survival,” said Erik Trinkaus, one of the study’s co-authors.
Such researchers assume that Neanderthal Man was a hunter-gatherer. A deaf man, still living with other traumatic injuries, would not have been able to hunt. Therefore, the researchers assume that the man must have had caregivers, who looked after him.
“The debilities of Shanidar 1, and especially his hearing loss, thereby reinforce the basic humanity of these much maligned archaic humans, the Neanderthals,” said Trinkaus. And there lies the whole point. Neanderthals were not a form of subhuman. Not “archaic humans” – just descendants of Adam and Eve like you and me.
Lord, You have made Your people in all shapes and sizes. We thank You for the variety of the human race; each individual welcome in Your sight when they repent and trust in You. Amen.
Ecclesiastes 3:21
“Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?”
In 1957, a dead Neanderthal man was discovered with nine other skeletons in Shanidar Cave in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. This particular Neanderthal Man had serious injuries, probably inflicted by other people. Police are looking for a 50,000-year-old murderer.
Of course, I made the last sentence up – except for the 50,000 years, which was made up by the researchers, as I can find no experimental evidence for that age in the various academic reports.
Shanidar 1, as the unfortunate skeleton is called, was actually injured well before his death. Researchers have recently reviewed his “hospital records” and have concluded that growths in his ears would suggest that during his later years, he must have been profoundly deaf.
“More than his loss of a forearm, bad limp and other injuries, his deafness would have made him easy prey for the ubiquitous carnivores in his environment and dependent on other members of his social group for survival,” said Erik Trinkaus, one of the study’s co-authors.
Such researchers assume that Neanderthal Man was a hunter-gatherer. A deaf man, still living with other traumatic injuries, would not have been able to hunt. Therefore, the researchers assume that the man must have had caregivers, who looked after him.
“The debilities of Shanidar 1, and especially his hearing loss, thereby reinforce the basic humanity of these much maligned archaic humans, the Neanderthals,” said Trinkaus. And there lies the whole point. Neanderthals were not a form of subhuman. Not “archaic humans” – just descendants of Adam and Eve like you and me.
Lord, You have made Your people in all shapes and sizes. We thank You for the variety of the human race; each individual welcome in Your sight when they repent and trust in You. Amen.
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